To remind people of French swimming pool rule

[Solmum1964]

Just a quick reminder for people holidaying in France this year. Many public swimming pools and campsites insist that boys and men wear proper (lycra) swimming trunks in their pools. These can be traditional brief style, swim shorts or jammers but must be tight around the leg for hygiene purposes. Looser swim shorts are not allowed.
I'm currently on holiday in France and have seen a number of men asked to leave the pool because they were not wearing appropriate swimwear.

Actually thank you for the reminder!!! DS is going away with his friends family to France for 2 weeks and there will be swimming - I literally had completely forgotten this bonkers rule!!!

It’s a bit weird I agree - as if the pool isn’t full of chlorine…

The swimming pool I used to go to with my kids in the UK had showers at the poolside, completely open and visible to everyone. Unsurprisingly I never saw anyone soaping up nude, either before or after their swim.

It’s not about how long they’ve been wearing them - it’s about stopping people jumping into the pool in outerwear, which may be covered in dust/mud/food residue at the end of a long day. Many men would happily swim in the same sort of long, light shorts they’d wear for a day sightseeing, and the rules are there to avoid this sort of scenario.

Don't get me wrong. We Brits are not going to shower nude in public. However, my point was that many Brits seem to skip showering entirely before entering the pool.

Last time I tried to buy decent Lycra men’s swimming trunks in the UK I hit a bit of a blank. Any places which do good quality ones? High street just has racks and racks of swim shorts.

How do you avoid sunburn if you have to wash off the sunscreen before you get in the water? And some places don’t allow rash vests?

We’re going to Spain for the first time this year. Any weird pool rules there?

You're probably better off looking online. The M&S website has some and I expect Next does too. Or there's also Amazon who seem to sell everything!

Same rules in Belgium and I presume some other countries too.

Because god only knows where you have parked your arse during the day. Public transport, cafes or even at home on a chair covered in cat or dog hair.

Sports direct or your local swimming pool.

The chlorine is there to clean up any pathogens. So you don't get ill.
Sweat, urine, suncream, hairdye, etc etc uses up the chlorine, so the pool caretaker has to put more chlorine in (they check the water hourly as levels of chlorine change fast).
The cleaner the bodies, the less chlorine you have to use. It's easier on the skin, eyes and lungs.

My understanding is that the Europeans are much more fussy about pool water quality

Yes, that makes sense. It seems a gross thing to imagine all those hairs floating around, and the poor sod who has to clean them 😳😬 It’d be a bit grim de-hairing lots of others' pubes 🤨

That’s because it’s out of season. In July and august most have multiple lifeguards at the pools when it’s France high season.

Amazon is your friend, loads of options.

Why weird just because it is not the custom in England? The French probably think that the English are dirty.

Decathlon probably also has them. But the swimwear from Amazon is pretty good and loads of choice.

Indeed. If you look around the bottom of a UK swimming pool the amount of yucky bits down there is unbelievable.

I have stayed at at least five different French campsites in the last few years (in August) and this rule has never been enforced at any site I've visited. First year DH especially bought a pair of tight fitting shorts before we left for the first trip and they have never been worn. Might be a rule that is more likely to be enforced at smaller sites or at local swimming pools but not so likely at the sites with lots of international visitors. Take your normal shorts and you can always buy an emergency (cheap) pair at the local supermarket if needed.

Does anybody know are there similar rules in Switzerland? We are off to the Bernese Oberland for our summer holiday & lots of the towns have outdoor pools.
Thanks

yes weird
chlorine takes care of germs

It's partly about carting muck in from outside, but also about cotton garments shedding fibres and fluff which can block filters, and it's about the amount of water which then comes out of the pool in long shorts and is then trailed around the poolside.

Honestly though, it baffles me that anyone would want to wear baggy swim shorts. Wet loose fabric flaps and rubs against the skin. What's so manly about chafing?

I've got no issue with wearing speedos, and really struggle to understand the righteous indignation Brits have about it.

@WutheringBites Online is by far the best bet - they've all but disappeared from the High Street. Speedo and Arena both have good ranges online, and have sales on at the moment.

Most sites I’ve been to don’t allow baggy swim shorts, but we have mainly booked direct not via eurocamp etc. It might be a more international clientele impacts things. The site where that was Dutch owned/managed was the exception.
As well as the official website etc. you can put the site name into YouTube. Videos including the pool often pop up so you can see the standard swim attire 🙂DP would much rather choose some trunks at home rather than risk what is available in a rural French supermarket.

Thats sand and soil that is easy picked up at the side of any pool